Annabeth
by emgem2000
Summary: Annabeth, on life, Percy, just about everything... And mainly Luke - her big brother and best friend. Percabeth, not Lukabeth...


**Annabeth**

Luke had always been... everything to me. At first, on the way to Camp Half-Blood, he was like the big brother I'd never had. If something bad happened, it was Luke I would run to crying. Luke I would run too if something went wrong, if something went right. And I'd always come first for him, too. He would be busy fighting, training, whatever, but when he saw me he'd drop everything, pick me up and spin me round, until I was dizzy – dizzy with happiness, with the feeling that now Luke was here, everything would be okay. Dizzy with love.

I had other friends, who I could have run to, but Luke was the one who always listened, always made me feel special. Those other friends were nice to me, yes, but they were always full of some trivial nonsense, obsessing about this and that, that and this. It never made any sense to me, and I don't think I made sense to them. But that was okay, because I had Luke, my big brother and my best friend.

I don't know when things changed. Maybe when I was too big to be picked up anymore. Maybe when Luke had his own problems to deal with. Or maybe it was just both of us growing up. Learning that life was... more difficult than two people alone could handle.

I started hanging with my cabin more, and was surprised at how nice they all were. Even though we were daughters of Athena, they taught me how to be a girly-girl, how to contact my inner-blonde. It was nice, for a change, to be so shallow, so immature.

It's hard to admit, even now, that Luke was my first crush. He was four years older than me, and always so busy with matters too complicated to involve me. I became shy around him, and I know he picked up on that. He couldn't work it out, and I certainly wouldn't tell him. He didn't seem like my big brother any more.

I made a new best friend, one who I could tell everything, until the day I found out that she had betrayed my secrets, betrayed _me_.

I ran through the woods for hours, with no idea where I was going. When I finally collapsed, I didn't get back up again. Even if I had, I wouldn't have been able to find my way back to Camp.

I began to cry, a scared little lost in a world I couldn't comprehend. I couldn't see _why_ Caitlin would do that to me, why it was _me_ who had to go through this, all because of _her_.

I don't know how long later it was when Luke found me. He sighed in relief and ran to me.

'Annabeth. Annabeth, thank the Gods I've found you.' I didn't respond, except to burst into a fresh wave of tears. Luke looked at me for a long time, then seemed to make a decision. 'It's okay, Annie. It's okay. I'm here now.' He picked me up in his arms and walked me back to Camp, back to being the big brother I'd missed so much.

After that night, something changed in me. Gone were the days of silliness and shallowness. I was a daughter of Athena – I should be wise and thoughtful, not act like a daughter of Aphrodite. I put all my energy into learning everything there was to learn. I trained with Luke, and he taught me everything. All the stuff that had been too hard before I know knew from memory. I learnt about the Camp – its history, its layout. I learnt every tree in the forest – I would not get lost again. Soon, I knew every letter, every symbol in the Ancient Greek language. I won countless competitions, slowly working myself up to the top. And when I got there, I didn't stop. I requested more. I _would_ learn everything I could. I would never be caught out again.

There was only one thing I wasn't top at, and that was sword-fighting. Luke as my tutor, and although they say that the best student will eventually beat their master, I never could. Sure, when he let me win to raise my spirits it was nice of him, but I realise now that he never taught me all he knew. There was a part of himself that he kept reserved, and I think it was to protect himself. If I could beat him, then I could teach others to beat him. He couldn't risk that ever happening. No one had ever beaten Luke in a sword fight, until Percy came along. Luke acted surprised and happy, and congratulated him, but I knew Luke well enough to see the spark of anger in his eyes, how he really felt about his defeat. I learnt that Luke was, inside, a bad loser, and that scared me. I had never seen a bad side to my Luke before, and it made me feel like I didn't know him quite as well as I thought I did.

And then Percy got the quest. It changed everything. I knew I had to go too – why else had I been training, learning for all those years? I had made up my mind almost instantly, and no one, not even my almost-big-brother, could change that. But that didn't stop them trying. I couldn't understand why Luke didn't want me to go: he knew me, knew how much it meant to me. I told myself that he just wanted to protect me, that the thought of losing me scared him.

Apparently it didn't.

I was so proud of myself, of us, when we got back to Camp Half-Blood alive, having actually completed our quest. I wanted to run back to Luke, to be picked up and spun around and around again, just like everything was normal again. I wanted him to be proud of me, too.

It didn't quite happen like that. As soon as we got back, I knew something was wrong. This Luke, this troubled man pacing back and forth, this wasn't my Luke. I didn't know what had happened, I just knew that something wasn't right, that something didn't add up.

Speaking as a daughter of Athena, I can't believe I didn't work it out. It should have been so obvious. I had wondered so often why he'd never contacted me on our journey, but I had figured he had just been busy, once again with the things too complicated for a little girl of twelve – 'adult matters'.

I had a flashback then. I was seven years old all over again, and I was trapped in the Cyclops's house with Luke and Thalia, and I was scared, so, so scared. I knew they'd come back for me, if they could. I waited and waited, for what seemed like forever. In the end, I wasn't waiting for them anymore. I was waiting for the Cyclops to find me, to eat me up with its huge teeth. Every single possibility went through my mind. At seven, without much training, I knew I had no chance. I just had to stay still, be silent, wait it out until Luke and Thalia found me.

And then I was found: but this wasn't Luke or Thalia. This was the Cyclops, and it was about to kill me. It lent down over me and I couldn't breathe and I was crying and I wanted Luke to come and save me and-

I snapped back to the present in time to see my oldest, bestest friend about to kill my new friends. About to kill me, perhaps. There was something in his eyes that showed me he didn't care. Just like Caitlin, all those years before, Luke had betrayed me. It made me wonder if I could trust anyone anymore.

Everything had passed before I really understood it. Soon I was making that decision – to go back to my Dads. I couldn't call it home. Camp Half-Blood was always my home.

I doubt I was quite what my Father expected. I don't think I was what anyone expected. I missed Luke – the old Luke, my Luke, who knew exactly what I was thinking, who was my big brother, who called me Annie. No one else was allowed to call me Annie.

But then, too soon, it was time to move on, to find Percy, to stop us both being killed. As much as I didn't like to admit it, I'd missed Percy too. Almost as much as I'd missed Luke. We clicked back together straight away – me calling him Seaweed-Brain, him calling me Wise-Girl. It was as if the winter hadn't taken place, as if this was another day straight after the events of the summer before. Some small part of me wanted this to happen differently. With someone else. I loved Luke. I wanted him to be my big brother again, just like everything had never happened.

Our reunion didn't go quite as my imagination had planned. Luke was too... different. It was like he'd been brainwashed. Maybe he had. I wasn't used to him being sarcastic with me. It didn't feel right, and it was around then that I realised something. Luke – my Luke- didn't love me anymore.

And that made me angry. So, so angry. It stopped any temptation to join his side, to see the argument from his point of view. When he started talking about Thalia, I snapped. When he said _I_ was dishonouring Thalia, I hated him. I hated Tyson. I hated Percy for being related to that thing. I hated everyone. Especially myself.

When we'd left – after my big brother had tried to kill me – we went back to our Half-Blood Hideout. It brought back so many memories – good memories, from back when I knew Luke and Talia could save me from anything. Nobody noticed me crying. I told myself it was because I hid it too well. Deep down, though, I had wanted so much for Percy to come and comfort me. To replace the big brother I had lost. I wanted _him_ to replace Luke. But Percy had always been too good, too kind. Maybe he did see. Maybe he thought I'd be embarrassed. Maybe...

I'd never known before, about the part of Percy that wanted to run away. He was _Percy_ – always brave, always strong. I know it was mean, but later, somewhere where I knew he wouldn't find me, I laughed so hard. Percy – my _Seaweed Brain!_ – had turned into a guinea pig. Or was it a hamster? I forget. It was just so surprising, so... I don't know. A guinea pig!

Then came the whole Cyclops episode. The memories it brought back scared me even more than the monster itself. But I managed – if only because of my secret wish to make Percy proud of me. That was private, though – I didn't even allow myself to delve too deep into _that_ matter. No, I ignored those feelings, and went off once again, to spend yet another year with my Dad and my family. Another year away from my friends. It was better, this time. Well, marginally better. More time passed before I ran away once again. I was ashamed of myself, but I told the thoughts that my happiness was more important. How I wish my happiness could have lasted longer.

It was great to see Thalia again. Although it was kind of weird with her aging and everything, we fell back together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. The way I wished that Luke and I had done. It made me realise what Luke had become: evil.

The problem with Thalia and Percy together, though, was their constant bickering. It reminded me too much of – dare I say it – home. Every so often I would wonder if there had actually been any point in leaving. But then I would look around at Percy, Thalia and Grover – my friends – and realise I was here to stay. The military school dance was... different, but it was still a dance. Dancing with Percy – _my_ Seaweed-Brain – was the closest I had come to a miracle since that night when I was seven and Luke had saved me from the Cyclops. Although we were there for Nico and Bianca, although I knew monsters were nearby, I was still blissfully happy.

_Half a dance._ That's how long it lasted for. After that, we were back on our 'Here's the world now save it!' tour. The names I called Percy when he went off on his own were, to say the least, R-Rated...

There was only one thing that kept me sane during my kidnapping: the way that stupid old Seaweed-Brain had yelled my name. The anguish in his voice showed me that he did care, really. Grover was right – there was a reason for the Huntresses of Artemis leaflet in my bag, and it wasn't just for light-reading. My Dad, Luke, even Percy and Grover had all let me down. And Mr D – well, he didn't seem to care about any of the campers, but after seven years... I guess I thought a was different, special even. I can't count all the times that I wished I was. I'm not really sure how close I came to agreeing with Artemis, to joining the Huntresses. I think it changed with the tides. I do know that later, when Percy had done yet another stupid, annoying thing, I sometimes felt regret for that decision – but then I'd think about all the wonderful, amazing times we'd had together and was so, _so_ glad I'd said no.

Lots happened over the next two years. I won't go into details – you've read Seaweed-Brain's books too. Taking the knife for him... I hadn't meant to. I saw the knife going towards him, and suddenly I was there. He was _my_ Percy, and I could never let anything happen to him. It was the first time I'd been possessive over someone since... well, sine Luke.

Luke. He had now become part of my life again, but it wasn't like before. Now, he was the monster we were fighting, and we were trying to take his life instead of save it. I was beginning to truly believe that _my_ Luke would never come back. When he hit me, I was sure. But I had to try. I knew that there was no other hope. If Kronos came back fully, well, we'd all be dead. So I tried to make him remember. His promise... Family... And then I saw it in his eyes. My Luke – _my Luke!_ And then he was taken from me, once again. Watching him die was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I knew there was nothing anyone could do. So I talked to him, comforted him. Spent the last few minutes I would ever spend with him smiling through my tears. Because I did love Luke – just not the way everyone thought.

That part of my life is over now. But I still have time to spend here on Earth – alongside Percy, Grover, Nico, Thalia... My friends. Luke is gone now, just like so many others, but I know that if I can remember him how he used to be, how he was in those last few minutes, I know that somehow Luke will always be the big brother I never had. My name is Annabeth Chase, and my mother is the Goddess Athena. Though I have not been told, I know that I am blessed. And know this: blessings, just like anything else, can be disguised.

* * *

**So... I started writing this just after I'd read the first book, and have been adding to it ever since. If some parts seem vague, or are incorrect to the books, it's because I couldn't remember... The Libraries Fatal Flaw? This is the longest one-shot I'v ever written, and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~ Em!**


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